Scale Integrated Smart Refrigerant Cart

Abstract

The present invention relates to a scale-integrated smart refrigerant cart (100), comprising: a body (160) having a pair of frames (163) with a hollow portion formed inside and a connecting portion (162) fixed in the horizontal direction between the frames (163); a handle (110) connected to the upper end of the frame (163); a wheel (130) rotatably coupled to the rear of the lower part of the frame (163); a plate (171) protruding forward from the lower part of the frame (163) to support a pressure vessel (B) in which refrigerant is stored; a load cell (180) provided on the upper surface of the plate (171) to measure the weight of the pressure vessel (B); and a 3-axis acceleration sensor (S1, S2, S3) configured to measure the movement of the body (160). It includes a monitoring unit (140) configured to process and analyze the signal of the load cell (180) and the signal of the 3-axis acceleration sensor (S1, S2, S3) to calculate the weight of the refrigerant stored in the pressure vessel; thereby, even in an environment where rolling or pitching occurs on the ship, the weight of the refrigerant can be accurately measured on the cart without separating the pressure vessel (B) from the cart (100), which increases the accuracy of refrigerant management and has the advantage of preventing overcharging or refrigerant shortage in advance.

Description

Technology Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a smart refrigerant cart with an integrated scale, and specifically, to a smart refrigerant cart with an integrated scale that facilitates the transport of a pressure vessel storing refrigerant and can accurately measure the weight of the refrigerant on the cart even in environments where rolling or pitching motion occurs, such as on a ship. Background Technology

[0002] Generally, refrigerants used in ships are housed in cylindrical pressure vessels, and a configuration utilizing a cart to support the bottom of the pressure vessel and facilitate its transport is known.

[0003] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a conventional cart for transporting pressure vessels.

[0004] As described above, a conventional pressure vessel transport cart is known to have a hollow frame (10) equipped with a handle (11) and a roller (12) for forward and backward travel, a pressure vessel seating portion (13) formed at a predetermined position on the frame (10), and a cylinder cover (16) that can be opened and closed on the outside of the seating portion (30). The cylinder cover (16) is hinged to both sides of the frame (10) and is formed in a divided configuration on both the left and right sides so that they can be opened.

[0005] However, when using a pressure vessel containing refrigerant on a ship with a conventional cart, there was a problem in that the weight could not be measured, and even when measuring the weight of the pressure vessel on the ship, the weight could not be accurately measured due to rolling or pitching occurring on the ship. Prior art literature

[0006] Republic of Korea Published Patent Application No. 10-2000-0013958 (Published March 6, 2000) Republic of Korea Registered Patent Application No. 10-2305503 (Published September 27, 2021) The problem to be solved

[0007] The present invention aims to solve the above problems by providing a smart refrigerant cart with an integrated scale that can accurately measure the weight of the refrigerant on the cart without separating the pressure vessel from the cart, even in environments where rolling or pitching occurs on the ship. means of solving the problem

[0008] The scale-integrated smart refrigerant cart of the present invention comprises: a body (160) having a pair of frames (163) with a hollow portion formed inside and a connecting portion (162) fixed in the horizontal direction between the frames (163); a handle (110) connected to the upper end of the frame (163); a wheel (130) rotatably coupled to the rear of the lower part of the frame (163); a plate (171) protruding forward from the lower part of the frame (163) to support a pressure vessel (B) in which refrigerant is stored; a load cell (180) provided on the upper surface of the plate (171) to measure the weight of the pressure vessel (B); and a 3-axis acceleration sensor (S1, S2, S3) configured to measure the movement of the body (160). It includes a monitoring unit (140) configured to process and analyze the signal of the load cell (180) and the signal of the 3-axis acceleration sensor (S1, S2, S3) to calculate the weight of the refrigerant stored in the pressure vessel.

[0009] Additionally, a support member (172) that supports the lower end of the pressure vessel (B) is further provided on the upper surface of the load cell (180); and a round guide (172a) is provided on the inner surface of the support member (172) to correspond to the lower cylindrical structure and the corner round structure of the pressure vessel (B).

[0010] Additionally, a support device (190) may be further provided, comprising a receiving groove (193) formed in the shape of a recessed groove on the inner side of a support member (172), a ball (191) embedded in the receiving groove (193) and configured to rotate with a portion of its outer circumference exposed to the outside of the receiving groove (193), and an elastic body (194) provided on the inner bottom surface of the receiving groove (193).

[0011] Additionally, the support device (190) may further include a guide plate (192) provided between the ball (191) and the elastic body (194), which has a concave central portion and is in contact with the bottom surface of the ball (191) in a sliding manner within the receiving groove (193).

[0012] Additionally, the monitoring unit (140) may include a controller unit (141) configured to analyze and process the signals of the 3-axis acceleration sensors (S1, S2, S3) to extract the inclination of the cart (100), and to correct the weight information of the pressure vessel (B) calculated from the load cell (180) signal using the inclination information of the cart (100).

[0013] Additionally, the monitoring unit (140) may further include a display unit (142) configured to display the weight of the refrigerant stored in the pressure vessel (B) calculated by the controller (141). Effects of the invention

[0014] The scale-integrated smart refrigerant cart (100) of the present invention can measure the weight of the pressure vessel (B) using a load cell (180) while the pressure vessel (B) in which the refrigerant is stored is installed, and can correct the weight by reflecting the tilt of the cart (100) using a 3-axis acceleration sensor (S1, S2, S3). Therefore, it is possible to accurately measure the weight of the refrigerant stored in the pressure vessel (B) installed in the cart (100) even in an environment where rolling and pitching occur on the ship, thereby increasing the accuracy of refrigerant management and preventing overcharging or refrigerant shortage.

[0015] In addition, the present invention can accurately measure the weight of the refrigerant in the pressure vessel (B) mounted on the cart (100), thereby preventing overcharging or undercharging of the refrigerant and ensuring stable operation of the refrigerant system, which has the effect of preventing refrigerant-related accidents that may occur during ship operation.

[0016] In addition, the present invention is provided with a support device (190) including a ball (191), a guide plate (192), a receiving groove (193), and an elastic body (194) inside a support member (172) that supports a pressure vessel (B). This prevents the pressure vessel (B) from moving forward, backward, left, and right inside the support member (172) even when movement occurs in the cart (100) due to motion such as rolling or pitching of a ship, thereby preventing the pressure vessel (B) from impacting the support member (172) and preventing excessive impact on the load cell (180), and has the effect of accurately measuring the weight of the refrigerant. Brief explanation of the drawing

[0017] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a conventional cart for transporting pressure vessels. FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the smart refrigerant cart of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a schematic perspective view of another embodiment of the base plate. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the base plate. FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of a base plate with a support device installed and an enlarged cross-sectional view of part 'A' of the support device. Figure 6 is a schematic diagram of the monitoring unit. Specific details for implementing the invention

[0018] Preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. For reference, the size, line thickness, etc., of the components illustrated in the drawings referenced for describing the present invention may be depicted somewhat exaggerated for ease of understanding.

[0019] Furthermore, the terms used in the description of the present invention are defined considering their functions within the invention and may vary depending on the user's or operator's intent, convention, etc. Accordingly, it is appropriate to define these terms based on the entire content of this specification.

[0020] Furthermore, in this application, terms such as 'comprising' and 'having' refer to the existence of specific numbers, steps, actions, components, parts, or combinations thereof described in the specification, and should be understood as not excluding in advance the existence or addition of one or more other features, numbers, steps, actions, components, parts, or combinations thereof.

[0021] In addition, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments disclosed below but may be implemented in various different forms, and the embodiments provided are merely to ensure that the disclosure of the present invention is complete and to fully inform those skilled in the art of the scope of the invention.

[0022] Therefore, the present invention is susceptible to various modifications and may take various forms, and embodiments (aspects or examples) are to be described in detail in the specification. However, this is not intended to limit the present invention to specific disclosed forms, and it should be understood that it includes all modifications, equivalents, and substitutions that fall within the technical scope of the present invention, and singular expressions used in this specification include plural expressions unless the context clearly indicates otherwise.

[0023] However, in describing the present invention, specific descriptions of well-known or known functions or configurations are omitted in order to clarify the gist of the invention.

[0024] Specific embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

[0025] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the smart refrigerant cart of the present invention, FIG. 3 is a schematic perspective view of another embodiment of the support plate, FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the support plate, FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of the support plate with the support device installed and an enlarged cross-sectional view of part 'A' of the support device.

[0026] As described above, the present invention’s ‘smart refrigerant cart’ (100) includes a handle (110), an auxiliary handle (120), a wheel (130), a monitoring unit (140), a belt (150), a body (160), a base plate (170), a load cell (180), a support device (190), and a 3-axis acceleration sensor (S1, S2, S3).

[0027] The body (160) is provided with two vertical frames (163) having a hollow portion formed inside, and a connecting portion (162) is fixed in the horizontal direction between the frames (163), thereby having the effect of being able to reduce weight while maintaining a certain strength.

[0028] The handle (110) is provided in a ‘∩’ shape that is bent at a certain angle toward the rear from the upper end of the frame (163), making it easy for the worker to grip.

[0029] The auxiliary handle (120) is provided in a '⊃' shape protruding outwardly from the lower part of the frame (163), thereby facilitating additional gripping by a worker or assistant, and thus enabling the 'smart refrigerant cart' (100) to be moved more easily.

[0030] The wheel (130) is rotatably connected to a bracket (161) that is provided in a position protruding from the rear of the lower part of the frame (163), making it convenient to move the 'smart refrigerant cart' (100).

[0031] The base plate (170) protrudes forward from the lower part of the frame (163) and has the function of supporting the ‘pressure vessel in which refrigerant is stored’ (B. hereinafter referred to as ‘pressure vessel’) that is mounted, and includes a plate (171) and a support (172).

[0032] The above plate (171) has the shape of a plate protruding forward from the lower part of the frame (163) and supports a pressure vessel (B) mounted via a load cell (180) provided on the upper surface of the plate (171).

[0033] The above support (172) has a cylindrical shape with an open upper surface on the upper surface of the plate (171).

[0034] That is, a circular depression is formed in the central part of the support (172), and by mounting the pressure vessel (B) with it inserted, it has the function and effect of minimizing measurement errors caused by the pressure vessel (B) moving due to rolling or pitching occurring on the ship.

[0035] In addition, a round guide (172a) is provided on the inner surface of the support (172) to correspond to the lower cylindrical structure and corner round structure of the pressure vessel (B), thereby maximizing the constant contact efficiency between the pressure vessel (B) and the support (172).

[0036] A small gap is formed between the support (172) and the pressure vessel (B) as described above, so that when the pressure vessel (B) measures weight by the load cell (180), an error caused by interference and friction of the support (172) can be prevented.

[0037] The load cell (180) is provided on the upper surface of the plate (171) inside the support (172) and is configured to measure the weight of the pressure vessel (B) mounted on the support (172).

[0038] Although FIG. 4 is illustrated as having a single load cell (180) installed, it may also be configured so that multiple load cells (180) can support the support (172) and measure the weight of the pressure vessel (B) or the refrigerant provided inside it.

[0039] The belt (150) is provided on the frame (163) and is fastened in a manner that wraps around the pressure vessel (B) to prevent left-right and front-back movement of the pressure vessel (B).

[0040] At this time, the pressure vessel (B) may be in contact with the inner surface of the belt (150), and it is preferable that the belt (150) and the pressure vessel (B) be connected in contact to such an extent that an error is prevented from occurring due to the contact resistance between the pressure vessel (B) and the belt (150) when measuring the weight of the pressure vessel (B) in the load cell (180).

[0041] The support device (190) is provided on the inner surface of the support member (172) and is configured to prevent left-right and front-back movement between the pressure vessel (B) and the inner surface of the support member (172), while allowing the pressure vessel (B) to slide easily downward, and includes a ball (191), a guide plate (192), a receiving groove (193), and an elastic body (194).

[0042] The above receiving groove (193) is provided in the shape of a recessed groove on the inner side of the support (172).

[0043] The ball (191) is embedded in the receiving groove (193) and is configured to rotate with a portion of its outer circumference exposed to the outside of the receiving groove (193).

[0044] The guide plate (192) has a constant thickness and has the shape of a plate with a concave central portion, and is in contact with the bottom surface of the ball (191) in a sliding manner within the receiving groove (193).

[0045] That is, the guide plate (192) is provided between the ball (191) and the elastic body (194) described later.

[0046] The above elastic body (194) has a spring shape and is provided between the bottom surface of the guide plate (192) and the inner bottom surface of the recessed receiving groove (193), so that elastic force is applied in a direction that pushes the guide plate (192) out of the receiving groove (193).

[0047] If we look at the operational relationship of such a support device (190),

[0048] When the pressure vessel (B) is inserted into the interior of the support member (172), the ball (191) rotates while in contact with the side of the pressure vessel (B), thereby allowing the pressure vessel (B) to slide smoothly downward, and the ball (191) supports the outer surface of the pressure vessel (B) while inserted into the interior of the receiving groove (193) while overcoming the elastic force of the elastic body (194).

[0049] Therefore, even if movement occurs in the cart (100) due to motion such as rolling or pitching of the ship inside the support (172), the pressure vessel (B) is restricted from moving forward, backward, left, and right, and the pressure vessel (B) is prevented from impacting the support (172), thereby preventing excessive impact on the load cell (180) and having the effect of ensuring that weight measurement by the load cell (180) is performed accurately.

[0050] As shown in FIG. 2, the 3-axis acceleration sensors (S1, S2, S3) may be configured such that three single-axis acceleration sensors, each provided on the base plate (170), the pressure vessel (B) (or belt (150)), and the frame (163), are perpendicular to each other to measure the 3-axis acceleration of the cart (100), or it may be possible to configure the 3-axis acceleration of the cart (100) by installing a single 3-axis acceleration sensor.

[0051] In the following embodiment, the weight of the refrigerant stored in the pressure vessel (B) is measured using a 3-axis acceleration sensor (S1, S2, S3) and a load cell (180) without separating the pressure vessel (B) from the cart (100) while it is mounted on the cart (100).

[0052] Figure 6 is a schematic diagram of the monitoring unit (140).

[0053] The monitoring unit (140) includes a controller (141) and a display unit (142).

[0054] As described, the load cell (180) is a core sensor for measuring weight, and outputs the weight as an analog signal. Since this analog signal is difficult to process directly, it is transmitted to the controller (141) of the monitoring unit (140) via an A / D converter, for example, HX711.

[0055] The controller (141) can analyze and process the signal transmitted from the load cell (180) to calculate the weight of the pressure vessel (B) and the weight of the refrigerant stored inside the pressure vessel (B).

[0056] The 3-axis acceleration sensors (S1, S2, S3) measure the 3-axis acceleration of the cart (100) and transmit the signal to the controller (141).

[0057] The controller (141) can analyze and process the signals of the 3-axis acceleration sensors (S1, S2, S3) to extract the tilt of the cart (100). Since the tilt of the cart (100) consequently matches the tilt of the pressure vessel (B) and the tilt of the load cell (180), the weight information calculated from the load cell (180) signal is corrected by reflecting the extracted tilt information, so that the change in the tilt of the cart (100) is measured even when the vessel is rolling or pitching, and this is reflected in the weight signal measured by the load cell (180) to more accurately calculate the weight of the refrigerant stored inside the pressure vessel (B).

[0058] The display unit (142) is configured to display the weight of the calculated refrigerant, and it may also be configured to display some or all of the signal from the load cell (180), the signal from the 3-axis acceleration sensor (S1, S2, S3), and the calculated inclination data together.

[0059] The present invention, as described above, measures the inclination of the cart (100) in real time using a 3-axis acceleration sensor (S1, S2, S3) and corrects the refrigerant weight data measured by the load cell (180) by reflecting this, thereby enabling accurate measurement of the refrigerant weight even in an environment where rolling and pitching of the ship occur, while the pressure vessel (B) is installed on the cart (100), thereby increasing the accuracy of refrigerant management and preventing overcharging or refrigerant shortage. Since excessive refrigerant injection can put a strain on the system or cause a malfunction, accurate weight measurement prevents overcharging or undercharging and ensures stable operation of the refrigerant system, thereby preventing refrigerant-related accidents that may occur during ship operation. Additionally, the time required to manually measure and record the refrigerant on board the ship is saved, and the accurate weight value can be checked in real-time on the display unit (142), allowing the operator to work efficiently. Furthermore, the measurement error that may occur due to physical characteristics is minimized, which has the advantage of allowing the operator to make more accurate and rapid decisions regarding the refrigerant.

[0060] This project (result) is the result of the Phase 3 Leading University Industry-Academic Cooperation Project (LINC 3.0), which was funded by the Ministry of Education and the National Research Foundation of Korea. Explanation of the symbols

[0062] 100: Smart Refrigerant Cart 110: Handle 120: Auxiliary handle 130: Wheels 140: Monitoring Department 141:Controller 142: Display section 150: Belt 160:Body 161: Bracket 162: Connection 163:Frame 170: Base plate 171:Plate 172: Support 172a: Round guide section 180: Load cell 190: Support device 191: Ball 192: Guide Plate 193: Accommodation Home 194: Elastic body B: Pressure vessel

Claims

Claim 1 A body (160) having a pair of frames (163) with a hollow portion formed inside and a connecting portion (162) fixed in the horizontal direction between the frames (163); a handle (110) connected to the upper end of the frame (163); a wheel (130) rotatably coupled to the rear of the lower part of the frame (163); a plate (171) protruding forward from the lower part of the frame (163) to support a pressure vessel (B) in which a refrigerant is stored; a load cell (180) provided on the upper surface of the plate (171) to measure the weight of the pressure vessel (B); and a 3-axis acceleration sensor (S1, S2, S3) configured to measure the movement of the body (160). A smart refrigerant cart with an integrated scale, characterized by including: a monitoring unit (140) configured to process and analyze the signal of the load cell (180) and the signal of the 3-axis acceleration sensor (S1, S2, S3) to calculate the weight of the refrigerant stored in the pressure vessel. Claim 2 A scale-integrated smart refrigerant cart, characterized in that, in the first paragraph, a support member (172) supporting the lower end of the pressure vessel (B) is further provided on the upper surface of the load cell (180); and a round guide (172a) is provided on the inner surface of the support member (172) to correspond to the lower cylindrical structure and the corner round structure of the pressure vessel (B). Claim 3 A scale-integrated smart refrigerant cart according to claim 2, further comprising a support device (190) including a receiving groove (193) formed in the shape of a recessed groove on the inner side of a support member (172), a ball (191) embedded in the receiving groove (193) and configured to rotate with a portion of its outer circumference exposed to the outside of the receiving groove (193), and an elastic body (194) provided on the inner bottom surface of the receiving groove (193). Claim 4 A scale-integrated smart refrigerant cart according to claim 3, characterized in that it includes a guide plate (192) provided between the ball (191) and the elastic body (194), which has a concave central portion and is in contact with the bottom surface of the ball (191) in a sliding manner within the receiving groove (193). Claim 5 A scale-integrated smart refrigerant cart according to claim 1, characterized in that the monitoring unit (140) includes a controller unit (141) configured to analyze and process the signals of the 3-axis acceleration sensors (S1, S2, S3) to extract the inclination of the cart (100), and to correct the weight information of the pressure vessel (B) calculated from the load cell (180) signal using the inclination information of the cart (100). Claim 6 A scale-integrated smart refrigerant cart, characterized in that, in claim 5, the monitoring unit (140) further includes a display unit (142) configured to display the weight of the refrigerant stored in the pressure vessel (B) calculated by the controller (141).

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